Friday, January 19
Los Angeles, CA
1:30 PM
UCLA
vs
Texas
Ahmani Guichard
Photo by: Jan Kim Lim
No. 16 Women's Tennis Hosts No. 6 Texas in Season Opener Friday
January 18, 2024 | Women's Tennis
The 16th-ranked UCLA women's tennis team opens the dual-match portion of its 2023-24 season this week at Los Angeles Tennis Center, with matches on consecutive days against No. 6 Texas and UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins meet the Longhorns Friday at 1:30 p.m. PT, then take on the Gauchos Saturday at 12 p.m. Free pizza will be available to the first 100 fans in attendance at the conclusion of doubles play Friday.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA women's tennis matches in person can still follow live. Point-by-point scores and live video will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bruins shined in their final event before the start of dual-match play, as three individuals were unbeaten and one doubles pair secured a title at the Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas. UNLV's Fertitta Tennis Complex provided the setting as the Bruins were joined by participants from No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 10 Florida and the host Rebels. In her first action with UCLA, Bianca Fernandez earned a singles title. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Elise Wagle were each unbeaten in their singles draw. Singles consolation crowns were secured by Ahmani Guichard and Kimmi Hance. The doubles tandem of Guichard and Lutkemeyer also had a championship run.
UCLA VS. TEXAS, UC SANTA BARBARA
UCLA will attempt to even their all-time series with Texas at 11 wins apiece. The programs most recently met in 2021, when the No. 3 Longhorns defeated the No. 2 Bruins 4-2 in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships semifinal round at Oklahoma State's Greenwood Tennis Center. Jada Hart and Abbey Forbes posted late wins for UCLA, but Kylie Collins prevented a third set against Annette Goulak and clinched a trip to the championship match for Texas. The Longhorns' would lose to North Carolina in the final, but not again en route to the NCAA Championships team title. UCLA is 36-0 versus UC Santa Barbara. The most recent meeting occurred in 2022, when the Bruins dropped just eight total games in the day's five completed matches. Vanessa Ong clinched the overall win, backing up similar efforts by Abbey Forbes and Sasha Vagramov. Each victorious singles participant registered one 6-0 set.
FALL RECAP
Bruins appeared at three tournaments during the fall. Freshman Ahmani Guichard made her debut on a national scale, logging two of her team-high six fall singles wins at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Elise Wagle each recorded three singles victories at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in San Diego. Guichard and Lutkemeyer teamed to collect two wins at ITA Regionals and added another during Thunderbird Invitational play in Tempe, Ariz. Guichard added two more singles wins in the desert.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA was slotted at No. 16 in the ITA Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll and remained there through the Jan. 17 installment. The latest singles rankings, announced Nov. 15, 2023, include the debut of Ahmani Guichard at No. 99. The freshman piled up a team-high eight singles wins before the start of dual-match play. The Bruins finished 2022-23 at No. 18. NCAA singles champion Tian Fangran was ranked eighth on the final singles list, while Kimmi Hance checked in at No. 90. The tandem of Hance and Elise Wagle earned a season-ending doubles ranking of No. 12.
2022-23 IN REVIEW
The 2022-23 UCLA women's tennis team advanced to the super-regional round of the NCAA Championships, upsetting host and No. 6-seed Duke to get there. The Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit and Sasha Vagramov provided the heroics with all eyes on her court. UCLA went 15-8 for the season. Kimmi Hance (doubles), Tian Fangran (singles) and Elise Wagle (doubles) each received All-America recognition. Hance and Wagle qualified for the NCAA doubles draw, while Tian claimed the second NCAA singles title in program history. Tian was also a finalist for the Honda Sport Award for Tennis and voted ITA Rookie of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. Hance and Wagle made up the Pac-12's Doubles Team of the Year. Tian earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team, Hance made the Second Team and Wagle was an Honorable Mention pick.
T IS FOR TITLE
Freshman Tian Fangran completed a sparkling run through the 2023 NCAA Championships singles tournament at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., defeating Layne Sleeth of Oklahoma 6-4, 6-2 for the second NCAA singles title in program history. The No. 9-16-seeded Tian joined UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Keri Phebus as the only Bruins to lift the trophy at the season-ending event. En route to the title, Tian won six matches without dropping a single set. She completed her debut college season with a singles record of 30-7, including a 17-6 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. The NCAA singles championship represents the first in the career of head coach Stella Sampras Webster, who was on staff as an assistant coach under Bill Zaima when Phebus collected hers.
WHO'S NEW?
Freshmen Bianca Fernandez (Montreal, QC, Canada/International Virtual Learning Academy), Ahmani Guichard (Seminole, Fla./Florida Virtual School) and Mia Jovic (Torrance, Calif./South HS) joined the Bruins in 2023-24. Fernandez, a veteran of ITF events who earned her first WTA points at the age of 15, reached the doubles second round alongside her sister and partner Leylah Fernandez at the 2022 National Bank Open in Toronto. Guichard, regarded as a Blue Chip prospect by TennisRecruiting.net, reached the singles second round at the 2022 US Open Junior Championships and also earned berths into the 2023 Australian Open Junior Championships and 2022 Roland-Garros Junior Championships. Jovic helped her high school to four consecutive CIF Southern Section Championships appearances and captured the Pioneer League singles title in 2019.
BRUINS ON TOUR
Ena Shibahara earned her first Grand Slam championship in 2022, teaming with Wesley Koolhof to seize the mixed doubles title at Roland-Garros. She made her first major women's doubles final round alongside Shuko Aoyama at the 2023 Australian Open. Shibahara/Aoyama was the last pair standing at the 2023 National Bank Open in Toronto, giving each player her second WTA 1000 championship. Shibahara climbed to a career-best No. 4 position in the WTA's doubles rankings in March 2022 and entered 2024 at No. 14. Catherine Harrison also had a standout 2022, competing at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. She reached the singles second round at the All England Club and earned a main-draw win in doubles at each event. Harrison added the Australian Open to her résumé in 2023 and made a return trip earlier this year. She also collected her first WTA title in 2022, partnering with Sabrina Santamaria to prevail at the Monterrey Open in Mexico. Harrison posted career-high WTA rankings of 214 singles and 69 doubles in 2022. Robin Anderson also had a stellar 2022, making career-high appearances of 137 singles and 181 doubles. She made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2022 Australian Open. Jennifer Brady, who achieved the highest singles ranking of any former UCLA standout when she climbed to No. 13 in 2021, is No. 96 on the current doubles list. Elysia Bolton (167) and Jada Hart (296) earned the highest doubles rankings of their careers thus far in 2023.
STELLA'S STERLING RÉSUMÉ
Head coach Stella Sampras Webster is in her 28th season at the helm of the UCLA women's tennis program, compiling an impressive overall record of 503-186 (.730). She is the second-longest-tenured active coach at UCLA, behind men's tennis head coach Billy Martin. Sampras Webster collected the 500th win of her illustrious career when the Bruins defeated UC San Diego on April 18, 2023. She has guided her alma mater to NCAA championships in 2008 and 2014, the first two in program history. Sampras Webster's teams have finished top-10 nationally in 22 of her 26 completed seasons and in the top five 15 times. Four NCAA individual championships have been won under her watch: Tian Fangran in 2023, Gabby Andrews/Ayan Broomfield in 2019, Tracy Lin/Riza Zalameda in 2008 and Daniela Bercek/Lauren Fisher in 2004.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA women's tennis matches in person can still follow live. Point-by-point scores and live video will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bruins shined in their final event before the start of dual-match play, as three individuals were unbeaten and one doubles pair secured a title at the Freeman Memorial Championships in Las Vegas. UNLV's Fertitta Tennis Complex provided the setting as the Bruins were joined by participants from No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 10 Florida and the host Rebels. In her first action with UCLA, Bianca Fernandez earned a singles title. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Elise Wagle were each unbeaten in their singles draw. Singles consolation crowns were secured by Ahmani Guichard and Kimmi Hance. The doubles tandem of Guichard and Lutkemeyer also had a championship run.
UCLA VS. TEXAS, UC SANTA BARBARA
UCLA will attempt to even their all-time series with Texas at 11 wins apiece. The programs most recently met in 2021, when the No. 3 Longhorns defeated the No. 2 Bruins 4-2 in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships semifinal round at Oklahoma State's Greenwood Tennis Center. Jada Hart and Abbey Forbes posted late wins for UCLA, but Kylie Collins prevented a third set against Annette Goulak and clinched a trip to the championship match for Texas. The Longhorns' would lose to North Carolina in the final, but not again en route to the NCAA Championships team title. UCLA is 36-0 versus UC Santa Barbara. The most recent meeting occurred in 2022, when the Bruins dropped just eight total games in the day's five completed matches. Vanessa Ong clinched the overall win, backing up similar efforts by Abbey Forbes and Sasha Vagramov. Each victorious singles participant registered one 6-0 set.
FALL RECAP
Bruins appeared at three tournaments during the fall. Freshman Ahmani Guichard made her debut on a national scale, logging two of her team-high six fall singles wins at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Elise Wagle each recorded three singles victories at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in San Diego. Guichard and Lutkemeyer teamed to collect two wins at ITA Regionals and added another during Thunderbird Invitational play in Tempe, Ariz. Guichard added two more singles wins in the desert.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA was slotted at No. 16 in the ITA Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll and remained there through the Jan. 17 installment. The latest singles rankings, announced Nov. 15, 2023, include the debut of Ahmani Guichard at No. 99. The freshman piled up a team-high eight singles wins before the start of dual-match play. The Bruins finished 2022-23 at No. 18. NCAA singles champion Tian Fangran was ranked eighth on the final singles list, while Kimmi Hance checked in at No. 90. The tandem of Hance and Elise Wagle earned a season-ending doubles ranking of No. 12.
2022-23 IN REVIEW
The 2022-23 UCLA women's tennis team advanced to the super-regional round of the NCAA Championships, upsetting host and No. 6-seed Duke to get there. The Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit and Sasha Vagramov provided the heroics with all eyes on her court. UCLA went 15-8 for the season. Kimmi Hance (doubles), Tian Fangran (singles) and Elise Wagle (doubles) each received All-America recognition. Hance and Wagle qualified for the NCAA doubles draw, while Tian claimed the second NCAA singles title in program history. Tian was also a finalist for the Honda Sport Award for Tennis and voted ITA Rookie of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. Hance and Wagle made up the Pac-12's Doubles Team of the Year. Tian earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team, Hance made the Second Team and Wagle was an Honorable Mention pick.
T IS FOR TITLE
Freshman Tian Fangran completed a sparkling run through the 2023 NCAA Championships singles tournament at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., defeating Layne Sleeth of Oklahoma 6-4, 6-2 for the second NCAA singles title in program history. The No. 9-16-seeded Tian joined UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Keri Phebus as the only Bruins to lift the trophy at the season-ending event. En route to the title, Tian won six matches without dropping a single set. She completed her debut college season with a singles record of 30-7, including a 17-6 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. The NCAA singles championship represents the first in the career of head coach Stella Sampras Webster, who was on staff as an assistant coach under Bill Zaima when Phebus collected hers.
WHO'S NEW?
Freshmen Bianca Fernandez (Montreal, QC, Canada/International Virtual Learning Academy), Ahmani Guichard (Seminole, Fla./Florida Virtual School) and Mia Jovic (Torrance, Calif./South HS) joined the Bruins in 2023-24. Fernandez, a veteran of ITF events who earned her first WTA points at the age of 15, reached the doubles second round alongside her sister and partner Leylah Fernandez at the 2022 National Bank Open in Toronto. Guichard, regarded as a Blue Chip prospect by TennisRecruiting.net, reached the singles second round at the 2022 US Open Junior Championships and also earned berths into the 2023 Australian Open Junior Championships and 2022 Roland-Garros Junior Championships. Jovic helped her high school to four consecutive CIF Southern Section Championships appearances and captured the Pioneer League singles title in 2019.
BRUINS ON TOUR
Ena Shibahara earned her first Grand Slam championship in 2022, teaming with Wesley Koolhof to seize the mixed doubles title at Roland-Garros. She made her first major women's doubles final round alongside Shuko Aoyama at the 2023 Australian Open. Shibahara/Aoyama was the last pair standing at the 2023 National Bank Open in Toronto, giving each player her second WTA 1000 championship. Shibahara climbed to a career-best No. 4 position in the WTA's doubles rankings in March 2022 and entered 2024 at No. 14. Catherine Harrison also had a standout 2022, competing at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. She reached the singles second round at the All England Club and earned a main-draw win in doubles at each event. Harrison added the Australian Open to her résumé in 2023 and made a return trip earlier this year. She also collected her first WTA title in 2022, partnering with Sabrina Santamaria to prevail at the Monterrey Open in Mexico. Harrison posted career-high WTA rankings of 214 singles and 69 doubles in 2022. Robin Anderson also had a stellar 2022, making career-high appearances of 137 singles and 181 doubles. She made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2022 Australian Open. Jennifer Brady, who achieved the highest singles ranking of any former UCLA standout when she climbed to No. 13 in 2021, is No. 96 on the current doubles list. Elysia Bolton (167) and Jada Hart (296) earned the highest doubles rankings of their careers thus far in 2023.
STELLA'S STERLING RÉSUMÉ
Head coach Stella Sampras Webster is in her 28th season at the helm of the UCLA women's tennis program, compiling an impressive overall record of 503-186 (.730). She is the second-longest-tenured active coach at UCLA, behind men's tennis head coach Billy Martin. Sampras Webster collected the 500th win of her illustrious career when the Bruins defeated UC San Diego on April 18, 2023. She has guided her alma mater to NCAA championships in 2008 and 2014, the first two in program history. Sampras Webster's teams have finished top-10 nationally in 22 of her 26 completed seasons and in the top five 15 times. Four NCAA individual championships have been won under her watch: Tian Fangran in 2023, Gabby Andrews/Ayan Broomfield in 2019, Tracy Lin/Riza Zalameda in 2008 and Daniela Bercek/Lauren Fisher in 2004.
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